Trapped in Fear
by CelestialMoon17
Summary: Sakura and Syaoran live in a town that fears magic. Sakura is caught using magic, and exiled to the forest, and now Syaoran must save her from a new powerful enemy AU on hiatus until further notice
1. Caught

Hello everyone! This is yet another song fic from the great mastermind of moi, so sit back, relax, and read my story! Just to let you know, this fic is slightly A/U, so it may be a little confusing, but the characters are going to be as true as possible.

Summary: Sakura and Syaoran are living in a town that fears magic. Sakura is caught using magic, and exiled to the forest. Once there, she discovers an old childhood friend who tries to help her escape, and tells her that she isn't alone. What she doesn't know is that the town has hired a magic hunter who has set out to kill those who practice magic, and those who associate with them . . .

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from CCS.

Oh yes… by the way… movie 2 never happened. Just so you know. And neither did the judgment with Yue.

On with the story!

'Trapped in Fear' – A CCS fic (S&S baby!) Chapter One: 'Caught.'

Sakura Kinomoto was a very beautiful young woman. She was smart, popular, and one of the sweetest girls you could meet. She could melt the coldest heart with her smile. In fact, it was in fourth grade when she did just that. One Syaoran Li had transferred from Hong Kong to Japan, and he was the surliest boy around. But Sakura found a way into his heart, and now the two were best friends.

It was quite amusing really. Syaoran Li was madly in love with Sakura, and everyone knew it . . . except for Sakura. It had taken two years just to admit to himself that he deeply cared for her. Now they were in the summer before grade 11, and he still hadn't gotten around to confessing his feelings to her yet.

"Maybe on her sixteenth birthday I will…" he muttered to himself.

Syaoran was supposed to be meditating, but of course, his thoughts were on Sakura. He couldn't get that girl out of his head even if he wanted to not think about her. She was just too beautiful . . . Syaoran sighed, and stood up. He walked out of his bedroom, and into the living room. His apartment was rather large, but he liked having the extra space.

"Though I wouldn't mind sharing it with a certain emerald-eyed beauty . . . " he grinned, and then mentally smacked himself. He was going to get in a lot of trouble if he didn't at least make an attempt to think about something else. He glanced at his watch, and saw to his complete surprise, that it was only 7:30AM. He was meeting Sakura at 10:00. They were going to spend the say together.

"It's going to be a long three hour wait." He mumbled, settling on the couch, flipping through the channels, not really watching the television. It was just background noise, as he let his mind wander.

"Sakura . . . " he whispered.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of town, one Sakura Kinomoto slept peacefully, her dreams occupied by a certain amber eyed boy.

_Dream Sequence_

_Sakura was running through a meadow of flowers. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue. She was carefree, and sang softly to herself a pretty song filled with love and joy. At the end of the field, she saw Syaoran standing there, smiling at her._

_"Syaoran!" she cried, running faster. She ran into his open arms, and snuggled against his chest._

_"Sakura. My lovely cherry blossom." He whispered into her hair._

_They clung to each other for what seemed like forever. Until Sakura couldn't wait any longer. She tipped her head up, and gently brushed her lips across his. Syaoran glanced down at her, momentary surprise on his face, before he returned the kiss with much love and passion._

_"Aishiteru Sakura-chan." Syaoran said._

_"Aishiteru Syaoran-kun." She replied._

_They shared another kiss._

_End dream_

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, and smiled. _What a wonderful dream! . . . too bad it wasn't real . . ._ the thought sobered her slightly. She glanced at her alarm clock, and saw that it was a quarter to ten. She had to meet Syaoran at the park in 15 minutes.

"HOEEEE!" she yelled, practically flying out of bed, and sending a very sleepy kero, her best friend, and guardian beast of the sealcrashing onto the floor.

"Hey what's the big idea?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Gomen nasai Kero-chan." Sakura mumbled through her shirt. "I'm late!" she cried.

"What else is new?" he asked.

Sakura finished dressing in record time, and ran downstairs. She found a note on the kitchen table from her father, saying that he was working at the university, and "wouldn't be back until late." The note also said that her brother, Touya had started his new job today. Sakura went into the refrigerator, grabbed an apple, and ran out the door.

"Lucky Syaoran-kun is bringing the food, or we'd starve to death!" she said to herself.

Sakura ran as fast as she could to get to the park. She took several shortcuts, but despite all of her efforts, she was still a few minutes late. Syaoran stood at the park entrance, a dreamy look on his face. He hadn't spotted her yet. Sakura stared at him, surprised. She had very rarely seen Syaoran without his expressionless face, and now here he was, all dreamy and starry-eyed.

Sakura cleared her throat, and Syaoran started. He looked at her, and the faintest hint of a blush began to creep up his cheeks.

"Ohayou!" Sakura greeted him warmly.

"Ohayou Sakura-chan." He greeted back. The sound of her name on his lips sent a pleasure of tingle up her spine. No matter how many times he called her by her first name, she still couldn't entirely get used to it.

"What would you like to do?" she asked him, a huge smile on her face.

"I don't know." He replied.

Sakura thought for a moment. She looked around the park, and saw that the swings were unoccupied.

"Let's go on the swings!" she cried, and rushed off before Syaoran could reply.

_She's like a little kid . . ._ he thought, a rare, fleeting smile on his face. He walked over to the swings, where Sakura was already sitting in one, pumping her legs to go higher each time. Syaoran didn't sit in the swing, but instead stood and watched her. Syaoran would never tire of looking at her. Her beauty mesmerized him. She was like a painting. Absolutely perfect down to the last detail.

"You're not swinging Syaoran-kun?" her voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked at her, and realized that she'd stopped swinging.

"No." he said.

"Oh." She replied. He saw the sad look on her face, and ittugged at his heartstrings. A suddenthought struck him.

"I have an idea." He said. He saw her face light up, and grinned to himself.

"I'll push you."

"Ok!"

He stood behind her swing, and gently placed his hands on the small of her back. Sakura could feel the warmth of his hands seeping through the fabric of her cotton shirt.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Hai!" she replied.

Syaoran pushed the swing away, and when it came back, pushed it back once more. He pushed Sakura on the swing for a few more minutes, before Sakura told him she'd had enough. Syaoran reluctantly stopped pushing her, and his hands felt cold and raw.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"Let's play tag! You're it!" she gently punched his arm, and took off. It took Syaoran a few seconds to realize what was going on.

"Why you little . . . GET BACK HERE!" he shouted, running after her.

Sakura was surprisingly a fast runner. It took Syaoran a few minutes to catch her, and when he did, she caught him almost right away. She began to tickle him.

"No! Stop!" he cried in between fits of laughter. Sakura was laughing so hard she could barely tickle him anymore. Syaoran took his chance and began his retaliation. Now it was Sakura's turn to beg for mercy while he tickled her.

Soon they collapsed on the soft grass, out of breath.

"That was fun." Syaoran said, wheezing slightly.

"Yeah. Who knew that you could loosen up like that?" Sakura grinned at him, and he smiled back. The next moment seemed like an enternity as they stared into each other's eyes. Sakura was the first to break the contact, as she looked away, blushing profusely, and Syaora came back to earth.

"What now?" he asked.

"Sleep." Sakura replied, her eyelids already starting to droop.

"Sleep? Nani? It's way too early to sleep." Syaoran said.

"No it's not. It's only 10:30." Sakura said, glancing at her watch.

"Yeah? So?" he asked.

"So? I should still be in bed!" she grumbled good naturedly.

An image of Sakura sleeping in bed sudden popped into Syaoran's head, and he could feel his face heating up. _Oh great._ he thought to himself.

"Why don't we have an early lunch?" he asked, to cover his embarassment.

"That would be great! I only had an apple this morning!" Sakura said.

They went to retrieve the basket of food, and the blanket that Syaoran had brought. They settled themselves in the shade of a big oak tree, and sat on the blanket. After eating a sandwich, a chocolate bar, and drinking a bottle of water, Sakura flopped back onto the blanket.

"Well I'm full now!" she said happily.

"Well we can always have the rest later." Syaoran said. He had only eaten a sandwich because he wasn't very hungry.

"Arigatou." Sakura said, helping Syaoran pack the food.

"You're welcome." He said, a smile on his face.

Sakura smiled back. _Wonder why he is in such a good mood today? That's the most I've ever seen_ _him smile._ She mentally shrugged, and settled back onto the blanket.

* * *

Conversation flowed like water between the two of them. They were talking about anything that came to mind, and time passed by, so that one minute it was late morning, the next it was mid-afternoon.

"This has been such a perfect day!" Sakura said, standing up and stretching. "I don't want it to end!"

"It doesn't have to." Syaoran said softly.

"Nani?" Sakura looked at him curiously.

"Well we can always walk around . . . that is, if you want to." He said hesitantly.

"Are you kidding? That would be great!" she grinned at him, and his cheeks were turning red again. _I'm surprised she hasn't noticed_ he thought.

They walked around the park. It was a beautiful day. Fat, puffy clouds hung in the sky like cotton balls, and the birds chirped noisily . . ._ Wait a minute, i don't hear any birds . . . _Sakura thought. She stopped walking, and Syaoran looked at her questioningly.

"Do you hear anything Syaoran-kun?" she asked.

"Am I supposed to?" he replied, unsure of what was going on.

"It's the middle of the day. Shouldn't there be birds chirping, or something? I don't hear anything."

Syaoran listened for any sound. Sakura was careful not to make one. A confused look crossed his face.

"I don't hear anything at all." He said, puzzled.

"What do you think it could be?" she asked, pausing for a moment.

A sudden hunch came over her.

"Will you excuse me for a second? There's something I have to do." Sakura said, running off.She had to solve this mystery of the lack of sound, because if she didn't . . . she shuddered at the thought of what would happen. Syaoran watched her go, but made no move to follow her, sensing that something was amiss.

"One of these days I'll move out of this evil town." He mumbled, listening for the first signs of returning sound.

* * *

Sakura ran out of the park, and let her senses go on full alert. She sensed a card, but she didn't know which one. The sound of her footsteps on the pavement was the only sound. It was eerie. Suddenly, the sound of her footsteps on the pavement stopped, and Sakura thought she'd tripped and fallen, but no. She was still running, but there was no sound. _What is going on?_ She thought. _Why can't I hear anything? _Then suddenly, realization hit her like a brick wall.

_It's the sound card!_

Now that she knew what she was up against, Sakura used her senses to find the card. It was roaming around Penguin Park- _Oh no! Syaoran!_ Taking off at a dead run, Sakura made it to the park in a matter of moments. "Syaoran?" she called, before realizing that there would be no answer, and that she was talking, but no sound came out. Looking around, she didn't see him anywhere. _Maybe he got away. _Sakura thought, relief flooding through her. But it was short lived, because the next second she felt an attack hit her, and she fell to the ground in pain.

_Damnit!_ Taking a deep breath, she got up, wincing at the pain. She sensed the attack this time, and moved out of the way just in time. _I can't keep on doing this!_ Sakura ran blindly, racking her brain for a card she could use to fight her opponent. But nothing came. Sakura was getting more desperate as the card caught up to her.

_What am I going to do?_

Suddenly, there was a flash of green and the card, and it's presence, disappeared entirely. _What the-? _The sky was clear again, and the birds were chirping noisily. Looking around, Sakura saw that she was not alone. She gulped.

There were several of her neighbors staring at the sight of her, sweaty and disheveled, and clutching the magic staff she used with her magic. _Shit. This is not good. _Sakura thought. She braced herself for the worst.

_I just hope Syaoran's ok._

* * *

"Sakura Kinomoto! Do you deny that you were caught using magic _in broad daylight no less_, and nearly killed someone?" Judge Shinto asked sternly.

Sakura was in the town hall. Once she had 'faced the music'. She was immediately summoned to court for a 'hearing'. The town was extremely strict about people who used any kind of magic. They feared it, mainly because someone had used black magic a few years ago and killed many innocent people, including Sakura's mother. They had hadno idea that the people in the town were still using magic, but when Judge Shinto came to town a few years ago, he hadhelped get rid of the people who practiced magic. Or sohe thought. Butthis day was a particularly sad one, as the people discovered that the one girl everyone loved and admired was caught using magic. Needless to say, the atmosphere in the courtroom was very tense.

"Yes I used magic" she said quietly. "But there was an evil aura in the air, and I was trying to capture it. I would _never _use my magical powers to hurt anyone."

"But you know the law Ms. Kinomoto. Anyone caught using magic must be put in exile."

Tears came to her eyes. "But sir! You don't understand-"

"I understand what's important." His usually kind voice had gone cold. "Effective immediately, Sakura Kinomoto, you are officially placed in exile. Go and pack your things. Someone will take you away." Judge Shinto dismissed the room with a wave of his hand, and Sakura shuffled out, struggling to hold back tears.

_Now I'm all alone._ She thought bitterly. She would never see her father, or her brother, or Syaoran . . . _and I never got to tell him how I felt. But I guess it doesn't matter now. He probably hates me after he found out what I did. _The tears finally began to fall as she stepped out into the warm sunlight that failed to reach her soul.

* * *

Syaoran sat in the back of the darkened courtroom, still in utter shock. He simply couldn't believe the events that had unfolded within a span of a couple of hours. _Sakura . . ._ he thought longingly. He had had no idea all these years that she was just like him, and possessed magical abilities.

Syaoran wanted to dance around with joy. _So that explains the pink aura I sensed around her all these years._ From the first day he met her, Syaoran was drawn to her. Now he knew why. _Curse this evil town! _He had felt his heart breaking when he watched his beloved stand trial, andwas punished by beingexiled from the town. _I have to see her! _He thought. Suddenly nothing else seemed to matter. _Why am I hiding myselfanymore? It's pointless. _Syaoran stood up, a determined look on his face as he made his way outside. He sensed something was up. Not a card, but there was something brewing in the air. Sure enough, a few minutes later he sensed a gang of boys approaching, obviously looking for a fight.

Syaoran stood there casually, waiting for the boys to notice him, and they did. As they walked towards him, Syaoran couldn't keep the smirk off his face.

"What's so funny?" one of the boys asked him, flashing him a glare.

"How pathetic you are." Syaoran said, clearly amused at the sight before him.

"Oh yeah? You think you're so tough?" the boy crossed his arms in a threatening gesture. Syaoran laughed it off.

"Damn straight." Was all he said. The boy looked at the others

"Hey I think this guy wants a lesson in pain."

"And whom do you think is teaching whom here?" Syaoran countered.

The boys sneered at him.

"So you wanna take us on? It's your funeral."

"Don't make me laugh anymore that I have already."

"Why you-" one of the boys attacked Syaoran, who used his lightning reflexes to move safely out of harm's way.

"Well you're a fast one, but no one can beat 'ace' over there." The boy said, indicating another boy, who glared at him.

"Oh really?"

"Really." the words were barely out before Ace attacked. Syaoran again dodged the attack, and punched him in the stomach. Ace doubled over in pain.

"Alright boys. Guess we're going to do this 7on1."

Syaoran raised his eyebrows.

"Have fun."

"Oh we will."

It all happened so fast. One moment the boys were all running towards him, the next there was a flash of green light, and Syaoran stood with a sword that flashed silver in the sunlight.

"The next guy that goes for me will be cut to pieces." He growled. Some of the boys backed up, but one was brave enough to sneer at him.

"You're going to be put in exile for this one, Syaoran." He said, glaring daggers at him.

"Oh so you figured out my secret. But I don't give a damn anymore. For years I've watched you and your gang fight anyone who crossed your path, but your fighting days are over." With that, Syaoran swung his sword, and a burst of green light hit the boys, rendering them unconscious.

"That is why you don't piss me off." He said, before walking away. He had no idea where he was going, he only knew that he had to find Sakura. He reached out his senses to the limit, and could feel her aura, though it was faint. He followed the direction it was coming from, and in his mind, he wanted so badly to find her, that he could swear her aura was getting stronger. _Hang on Sakura. I'm coming._

* * *

Once Sakura had reached her house, she packed all she could into her suitcase. She couldn't take very much. Only the essentials. She picked up the one photograph of her and Syaoran and sighed. _It's him I'm going to miss the most. _She thought, putting it in her suitcase. Just then, Kero came flying into the room not noticing her at first, and talking to himself.

"Gah! There was no strawberry cake left _again._ I _told _her that she should always leave me a piece, but does she _listen?_ No!" Just then, Kero noticed Sakura.

"Sakura! You're home early!" seeing her packed suitcase, and her crestfallen face he asked,

"What's wrong?"

"I tried to capture a card, and I got caught, and now I'm in exile." She said this very fast, but Kero managed to get the gist of it.

"Oh no!" he said, looking serious now, which was a rarity for him.

"Yeah. I'll never be able to see my father, or my ni-chan, or Syaoran-" her voice quivered.

"Oh come now. At the very least now we don't have to hide anymore."

"But I'll be alone!" she moaned.

"No you won't . . . you'll have me." Kero said.

"Oh Kero." She hugged the small yellow beast close to her, and was quiet for a few moments. "You know what I mean." she whispered.

"Yeah I do." He told her quietly, as she released him.

The doorbell rang, and Sakura heaved a sigh.

"This is it." She said. There was no turning back now.She picked up her suitcase, and Kero, who remained immobile in her arms. Sakura answered the door and one of the city's officials stood there, clearly looking uncomfortable.

"You Kinomoto?" he asked.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Follow me." Was all he simply said. She picked up her suitcase and followed him, noting that he was a good ten or so paces around of her. _What am I, contagious? _She thought bitterly, a tear dripping on her cheek, and landing on Kero, who felt his heart breaking for his master. She was kind and sweet, and didn't deserve what was happening to her.

_Poor Sakura. _He thought. _Poor Sakura._

A/N: So there is the first chapter of my new fic. I will try and update as often as I can. It's summer, so that shouldn't be a problem. Enjoy! _God bless _CelestialMoon17.


	2. You're Not Alone

Well peoples! I'm back for chapter 2 of my new CCS fic. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or any of the characters. Any original characters are mine. Any explanations of the chapter will be in my author's note at the end.

On with the story:

Where we last left off . . .

_What am I, contagious? _She thought bitterly, a tear dripping on her cheek, and landing on Kero, who felt his heart breaking for his master. She was kind and sweet, and didn't deserve what was happening to her.

_Poor Sakura. _He thought. _Poor Sakura._

Chapter Two: 'You're Not Alone.'

Sakura sat in the small room of the tiny hut that she had been sent to. It seemed that her life had hit rock bottom.

_flashback_

_The man who led her hear made no effort to help her with her suitcase or her belongings. When she tripped, he hadsimply turned around and glared at her, and then resumed walking. He was nearly out of sight by the time she caught up with him. Sakura was panting, and her ankle throbbed painfully._

_Once he had done his duty, Sakura found herself standing in front of a tiny, rundown shack that looked like one more gust of wind would blow it over. Sakura stepped inside the doorway, and set her things down. She surveyed the room with a neutral expression_

"_It could be worse." Was all she said._

"_Oh really? I don't see how." Kero was angry, and it cheered Sakura slightly to see Kero having some form of emotion. Truly she felt numb. She couldn't feel anything anymore. She didn't **want **to feel anything. If she let herself go, she wouldn't be able to come back to the world of happiness.No. It was better to be cold and unfeeling than to feel immense pain._

_End flashback_

Sakura heaved another sigh as she lay on the small iron bed staring at the ceiling. Suddenly a blue aura seeped into the air, and it surrounded her. Sakura tensed. _Shit. It must be a card. _Her senses on full alert, she quietly got up from the bed and glided towards the door. She heard a voice call from the other side.

"Hello?" Sakura stopped in her tracks, confusion clouding her face.

Ok. That can't be a card. It's definitely a human voice. Suddenly another thought occurred to her. _Can it be-?_ Without another word, she whipped open the door. 

"Syaoran!" she yelled, blindly running outside and crashing into something hard. And warm. Sakura felt dizzy.

"Are you alright?" the voice didn't belong to Syaoran. It sounded unfamiliar. _Great. Now I've gone and embarrassed myself. _When she looked up however, she saw to her great relief that the person was smiling at her, and offering her his hand.

"Thanks." She said, taking the offered hand. Once she was pulled to her feet, she regarded the person standing in front of her suspiciously. He had dark blue hair, strikingly pale skin, and intense gray eyes that were looking at her through a pair of glasses. He looked vaguely familiar, and yet she was certain that she didn't know who he was.

"Who are you?" she asked. The teen simply smiled at her in an odd way, as if he knew something that she didn't.

"Ah Sakura." He finally said, making her look up at him in shock. "I didn't think you would recognize me after all these years, but I would know those emerald eyes anywhere."

"Who are you?" she asked again, this time with an edge of panic in her voice. _How does this guy know my name? _

"Think really hard." Was all he said, with a wave of his hand.

Suddenly Sakura was bombarded with memories of her early childhood.

_Flashback_

_Sakura was ten years old and midway through the fifth grade. One day she went to school, and there was an unfamiliar person sitting in the desk next to her. He had blue hair, and gray eyes, and had an aura about him that confused Sakura greatly. Most people had a gray aura, or no aura at all, but this boy's aura was blue. _

"_Hello." She said sweetly. The boy turned to look at her, and she felt his eyes peering into the depth of her soul. He smiled at her, and she wondered just how much he knew about her. **Maybe he knows about my magic! **She thought, suddenly feeling on edge. Luckily for her, Syaoran had just come into the room. He took one look at her pale face, and knew that something was wrong._

"_Sakura?" he asked, approaching her carefully. Sakura whirled around to face him, and he saw fear in her eyes. He inwardly blanched._

"_Syaoran." Sakura said, putting her usual sunny smile back onto her face. Syaoran looked at her for a moment, but she was smiling again. Syaoran knew something was up, but he knew that she didn't want to talk about it right now. He reached out and gave her a hand a comforting squeeze, before sitting down at his desk, his face cherry red._

_A few hours later, Sakura was running late, and was running blindly in the halls. She crashed into someone, and her books tumbled over her. "Gomen nasai!" she said, picking up her books, and coming face to face with the boy from the morning. Sakura felt herself tense up. She tried to calm her raging emotions. _

_"It's ok. You don't have to be afraid of me. I'll always be your ally." The_ _boy said, before getting up, and walking down the empty hallway. Sakura couldn't take it anymore._

_"Wait!" she called. The boy turned around._

"_Who are you?" she asked._

"_Eriol Hiiragizawa" he replied, before he reached the end of the hallway and turned the corner._

_The town was in court, because someone had been caught doing magic. As the town assembled in the courtroom, Sakura felt sick to her stomach. **What if it's me?** She thought. She had been out the previous evening, trying to capture a card. **What if someone saw?** She was shaking like a leaf as she sat down next to her brother._

"_What's wrong kajuu?" Touya asked, sensing her discomfort._

"_Nothing. I'm fine." Sakura said, trying to smile at her brother, but it came out very weak. Her brother gave her a look, but the court was in session, so he shrugged it off for now. _

"_We are now in court with the honorable Judge Shinto presiding." A man in his late twenties came out into the courtroom and took his place. Once he had sat down, he got down to business._

"_As you are all aware," he began. "There was someone caught using magic late last night." _

_Sakura had gone so pale, she was nearly white. She clutched at her skirt so hard, it was a miracle that fabric didn't rip. Her brother gave her another look, but she gave him another weak smile. Touya turned away, but kept one eye on his sister who was all of the sudden acting strange._

"_The person responsible for this monstrosity," The judge continued. "Will stand trial, and be exiled from town indefinitely." Collective gasps were issued throughout the courtroom. The judge waited for them to die down before he continued._

"_And now I will call Mr. Eriol Hiiragizawa to the stand."_

_Sakura felt her body sag in relief, and shock as she stared at the young boy with the blue hair and gray eyes approach the stand. **It was . . . him? **Last night Sakura had thought she had sensed another presence, but she had brushed it off. Now she knew who it was. She watched through a veil of tears. Eriol went through the trial, and was exiled from the town, and Sakura never saw him again. _

_End flashback_

"Oh my gosh!" Sakura yelled, breaking through her memories. _I know I promised myself I wouldn't feel anything, but now I'm not alone. _She stared at the teen standing in front of her, shocked beyond belief. Eriol chuckled.

"I knew you'd figure it out." He said quietly. Sakura lost it. She broke down sobbing, and flung herself in his arms. He held her while she cried her heart out.

"It's going to be alright you know." Eriol said soothingly to Sakura, who was trying to calm down.

"How do you know?" she asked, staring at him through teary eyes.

"Because I've lived here for the better part of 7 years. And now you're here. I always knew you had magic, and I was surprised it took you this long to come here."

"But I love that town!" Sakura said loyally.

"What, the town that's afraid of their own shadows?" For once, Eriol's voice was bitter.

"But it's where I grew up with the people I loved. My father and brother and Sya-" Sakura clamped her hands on her mouth, and turned bright red.

"It's ok you know. I always knew that you loved Syaoran." Sakura looked up at Eriol with wide eyes.

"But now he hates me, because he knows who I really am." She whispered, feeling tears well up inside of her again. _It's not fair!_ She thought to herself.

"You can't say that. You don't know how he feels." Eriol said.

"Well I really don't think he'll talk to me now, because he doesn't know where I am, and he's probably like all the other magic haters in that town."

Eriol sighed, and inwardly groaned. _Sakura is really naïve to think that, but she'll learn in good time. _He looked down at his dear friend who was looking especially morose.

"Say, I have an idea." Sakura looked up, mildly interested. "Why don't you come with me, and I can introduce you to the others."

"There's others out here?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Like I said, this town is paranoid. Come with me." He grabbed her hand, and led her away from the loneliness, and towards the hope of finding others who were like her; trying to find themselves in a world that was full of fear. But Sakura was no longer afraid, only anxious to begin her new life of freedom.

_Perhaps everything really will be alright._

* * *

It was dark and dusty, with the only source of light coming from the lamps lit in the courtroom below. Syaoran was feeling extremely uncomfortable, but didn't dare move. He needed to know where they had taken Sakura. Her aura was so faint, it barely even registered. After he had spent the better part of the day searching tirelessly for her, Syaoran slowly began to realize that she wasn't even in the city, because he was certain he would have found her by now.

Syaoran knew that the situation was not looking so great for him, and that he needed to go into hiding if he wanted to avoid capture. _After all, how can I help Sakura if I get captured? _He had no idea where those who were exiled were sent, but he assumed that they were in a remote, isolated spot. _Now I just have to figure out where that spot would be._

The sound of voices in the courtroom below shook Syaoran out his reverie. Peeking between the rafters of the courthouse roof, he could see several of the city's officials, and Judge Shinto gathering for an important meeting. _Jackpot! _Syaoran thought, leaning in close to listen to their conversation . . .

"Well what are we going to do about it then?" one of the city officials, a plain looking woman asked anxiously.

"We need to get rid of the source. We can no longer exile those who posses magic. We need to do something drastic."

Syaoran tensed. _This is not good. _He thought, leaning even closer to hear the Judge's next words.

"So what are we going to do with them?" another official asked.

Shinto looked at the city officials, all ten of them with a grave look on his face.

"It seems that we'll have to fight fire with fire." He said simply.

"Come again?"

"It has come to my attention that the 'magicians'" he said the word like it was dirty. "Are planning on attacking the town and overthrowing the government."

All of the officials gasped in both shock and surprise.

"And how did you come to obtain this knowledge?"

"I have my ways." He smiled in a mysterious way that did nothing to comfort both the officials, and the hidden boy who was listening with rapt attention to their conversation.

"Anyways," he continued. "I have taken it upon myself to call in an expert." He made a gesture with his hand, and a newcomer came into the room. Upon inspection of said newcomer, Syaoran nearly fell from his hiding place. _Shit. This is **definitely **not good. _He thought, surveying the person who now stood at Judge Shinto's side.

He had long, flowing white hair that pooled around his ankles. His eyes were an intense shade of icy blue. He was dressed normally enough, in a white shirt and blue jeans, but even people who feared magic could sense that he wasn't normal. Everyone was staring at him, absolutely entranced by him, and the demeanor he gave off.

"What is this?" one of the officials barked, coming out of his trance. "He's one of _them._" He spat, looking at the Judge accusingly.

"No actually he's not. He just looks like it. This man actually hunts down magical people as a profession." Judge Shinto said everything with an air of calmness around him.

"My name is Yue." The man spoke, his voice flowing like water and ice, and once again everyone was staring raptly at him. Silence reigned for a few moments, but luckily for Syaoran, no one could detect his heavy breathing, as he struggled to conceal his aura from the man who hunted and presumably killed magical people like himself.

"So what you're trying to say, is that we're going to send this man into the forest, where we've placed all of those magicians into exile to hunt them down and kill them?" the city official who had spoken before was now speaking again.

"Yes, that's correct."

There was another moment of stunned silence. Finally, another official spoke up.

"Isn't that a little harsh?"

"Are you kidding me? It's brilliant! We should of thought about this _years_ ago!" another one said. One by one, the city officials all voiced their opinions, and it was obviously that out of the ten officials, only two of them were strongly against the new plan.

"Well it doesn't matter what you think." Judge Shinto said, glaring daggers at the two officials. "As of tomorrow, you're no longer in office."

"WHAT?" one of them spluttered. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

"Actually I can, because the city law states that the judge has the power to remove officials from office as they see fit."

"This is preposterous-" the other one began, but was cut off when a guard clamped his hand on her arm.

"Kindly escort these two off the premises immediately." The guards obeyed, and the struggling officials were soon out the door and out of sight. Judge Shinto turned back to the eight remaining officials.

"So here is the plan . . . "

Shinto gave each of the officials an assignment that was to be carried out 'as soon as possible'. Once they had all left, Shinto turned to Yue.

"And you have the most important job of all." He showed Yue a map of the town, and the forest next to it. "This is where the magicians are-" he trailed off, when he saw Yue tense.

"What is it?" Shinto asked.

"I sensed an aura in the room. A magical one." Yue said.

"What?" they looked around the courtroom with sharp eyes, but couldn't see anything. A few moments passed, as they continued to search the room thoroughly with their eyes.

"It's gone now." Yue said after a moment.

"Good." Was all Shinto said. Yue regarded him with a cold look. "I still don't know why you wanted me to work for you now. I paid my dues."

"You may have 'paid your dues' but you neglect to remember who rescued you and raised you, when I could have left you for dead."

Yue blanched.

"Someday." He said, anger spilling from his voice. "Someday you'll get yours."

Shinto merely laughed.

"You know what needs to be done, so get going." Yue turned and walked towards the door, but was called back. Yue stopped walking, but kept his back to Shinto.

"If you stray from your mission, you know the consequences, and no one will save you this time."

Yue stalked out the door, and once he was out of sight from Shinto then, and only then did he let out a growl which issued low and deep from his throat.

_Bastard._

* * *

Syaoran was crouched in the bushes, trying to calm his racing heart. _Shit! That was **way** too close for comfort. _He knew he was in trouble when he saw Yue tense. _Damnnit! My aura. _Syaoran got the hell out of there at lightning speed. Now safely concealed in the bushes, Syaoran remembered the map that Yue and Shinto were pouring over. He recalled Shinto saying something about the forest._I'll bet the people he sent into exile are in the forest!_ Syaoran wasted no time. He leapt from his hiding place, and set off at a dead run. A few minutes later, he sensed the evil silver aura and panicked. _Oh great. Not him again_. He closed his eyes, and concealed his aura, and leapt into the nearest tree not a second too soon. Through the leafy canopy of the tree, Syaoran saw Yue emerge from the shadows, looking pissed. 

"That stupid bastard." He was muttering to himself. Syaoran was perplexed. _Who's he talking about? _He wondered.

"I might as well get this over with so I can go back home." Then to Syaoran's utter shock, Yue closed his eyes for a moment. Suddenly two huge wings emerged from his back, and his clothes changed. He was now wearing a white and purple outfit that seemed to match the rest of his demeanor. He slowly rose into the air, and flew off into the night. Syaoran followed him with his eyes, until he was out of sight.

_Wonder where he's going?_ Then in an instant, Syaoran remembered what the judge was planning to do. _He's going after the people with magical powers! Shit! Sakura. _Syaoran felt his heart beating even faster as he jumped from his tree and ran faster than he ever had in his life. He needed to find Sakura _now. _He had to find her before it was too late.

_Please let Sakura still be alive. _He thought, as he ran through the town running faster than the average human. Luckily for him, he was in the cover of night, but Syaoran wasn't thinking of being seen. The only thing that mattered to him was getting to Sakura.

Before Yue did.

A/N: Well where to start? Yes I included Yue in my fic, because it works with the advancement of the plot. Yes he is OOC, but this fic is A/U, and I'm trying to stick to having as much originality with the other characters (aka Sakura and Syaoran) as much as possible. This chapter is slightly shorter, because I want to leave the inevitable meeting of our favorite couple until the next chapter, and also I left you all at a slight cliffhanger, so it's more interesting that way. Anyways, please review and let me know what you think so far. _God Bless _CelestialMoon17.


	3. Reunited

Hello. I'm back for the third installment of my new fic. It's starting to get really good, and I'm happy with the direction it's going in. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, or any of the characters related to it. Any original characters, however, are mine.

On with the story!

Where we last left off . . .

Luckily for him, he was in the cover of night, but Syaoran wasn't thinking of being seen. The only thing that mattered to him was getting to Sakura.

Before Yue did.

Chapter Three: 'Reunited'

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure. Just trust me."

Sakura didn't answer, but turned her attention back to the waning sky.

"Look it's almost night time! Shouldn't we be seeking shelter or something?"

"We're almost there." Eriol replied, taking her hand, and guiding her up a steep hill.

"We've been walking for hours! How do I know that you haven't gotten us lost?"

"Because we're here." With a flourish, Eriol pulled back the branches, and Sakura saw glowing fires surrounding several small huts. There were many people running about, tending to the fires, and getting the food ready. The smell of cooking meat permeated the air.

"Wow." Was all she could say.

"Most of these people are actually normal humans, but were caught associating with the people who practice magic. That's why they're here."

Sakura turned to look at Eriol, confusion clearly evident on her face.

"I don't understand." She whispered.

"Well let me put it this way-" but before he got any further, there was sudden shout of glee as a young woman came running to them at full speed, and flung herself into Eriol's arms, who was taken aback.

"You're back!" the woman cried, hugging him closely.

Eriol held onto the teen for a few moments before gently releasing her.

"Tomoyo, I'd like to introduce you to another exiled individual such as ourselves." He gestured to Sakura, who was still looking slightly bewildered.

"Konnichiwa." The young woman said sweetly. "I'm Tomoyo."

"I'm Sakura."

Suddenly, Tomoyo's eyes widened.

"So _you're_ the infamous Sakura Eriol's been talking about all these years! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" she shook Sakura's hand several times, before turning back to Eriol.

"I think something big is up." She whispered to him.

"I know." He replied. He called to Sakura, who looked at him questioningly.

"Listen . . . you can stay with Tomoyo for the time being. There's some stuff I have to do." He began to walk in the other direction.

"But-" Eriol could no longer hear them. Sighing, Sakura watched him go until he was out of sight, and then turned to Tomoyo who was waiting patiently.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on around here?"

A few hours later, when the stars were twinkling in the sky, Sakura finally had the all the answers, but now she wished she hadn't asked.

According to Tomoyo, there were only three people in the entire town who were true magicians. They included Eriol, Sakura, and the third had yet to be discovered. Eriol had spent years trying to find the others, and when Sakura had been exiled, he knew that there was something big brewing in the city. He had seen a few of the city's officials search the forest from time to time, but their area was well secluded, and they went on, undiscovered. But Eriol had heard bits of their conversation, and coupled with his magical abilities, concluded that an attack was coming. Now everyone was preparing for an immediate and sudden evacuation, and Eriol went to search out the third magical person, so that they would have a chance to defend themselves.

"But there's almost twenty people here!" Sakura said clearly outraged at the town she had once loved.

"Twenty-three to be exact." Tomoyo said glumly. "And that's not counting you and Eriol."

"That's sick. Why would they exile so many people?"

"We don't know either, but the town has been corrupted ever since Judge Shinto showed up."

"How long have you been here?" Sakura asked.

"I came here three months after Eriol. It was horrible. I had to leave my family, and my home." She looked so distraught. Sakura put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I had to leave my home too." She said quietly. "And someone I really cared about."

"Who?"

Sakura told Tomoyo about Syaoran, and was nearly in tears by the time she finished speaking. Now it was Tomoyo's turn to comfort Sakura.

"It'll be ok. I'm sure he's alive and well, and maybe even looking for you right now . . . "

Little did Tomoyo know how right she was at the exact moment . . .

"Sakura!" Syaoran yelled at the top of his lungs. He had reached the edge of the forest. He thought he heard a distant cry, and felt his blood boil with anger. _If anything had happened to her . . . _ he didn't let himself finish that thought as he ran into the forest, yelling her name.

Suddenly, Syaoran sensed an attack coming his way, and ducked in the nick of time. A burst of white light shot through the air where his head had been only seconds earlier. _Shit! Yue! _Syaora kept running, and used his skills to sense and dodge the attacks. Soon enough he reached a clearing, and paused for a moment to catch his breath.

A sudden burst of pain shot up his arm, and Syaoran saw that he had been hit by the lightning whip that Yue carried. Syaoran bit back a scream of agony, as he watched his opponent swoop down into the clearing, and land gracefully on the ground.

"So it was you who was listening to our conversation in the courtroom."

"What of it?" Syaoran snarled. He sensed the whip coming, and jumped away in time, jarring his injured arm further. He winced in pain.

"Shit."

"Oh really now. Profanity is going to get you nowhere in this battle."

"Bastard." Syaoran spat, as the whip came down again. The tip caught Syaoran in the chest, and he fell to the ground in pain.

"Are you reading to concede defeat?"

"Not as long as I'm alive."

"I'd rather not kill you, but you offer me no choice."

He raised the whip again, and Syaoran closed his eyes, bracing himself for the ultimate impact of pain.

Nothing happened.

Opening his eyes in shock, Syaoran saw a young man standing in front of him, wielding a large staff that had a sun on the top. Even in his weakened state, Syaoran could sense the blue aura pulsating around him. _But now the question is, which side is he on? _He knew that just because he saved Syaoran now, didn't mean he would save him later. This man could have saved Syaoran now, to fight and kill him later. _This situation keeps on getting worse for me doesn't it?_

"Can you stand?" Came the young man's voice. He deflected another attack, his face screwed up in concentration.

Syaoran forced his legs to stand. With each movement, he felt a fresh wave of pain wrack his body. Once he was fully erect, Syaoran had to use all of his strength not to fall over again.

"Shit. This is not good." He heard the young man say.

"No, you think?" Even in his weak state, Syaoran couldn't help with the sarcasm.

"I could kill you, you know." The teen said, deflecting another blow.

"Then why don't you?" he sneered.

"Because you're the one I've been looking for." Sweat was pouring down his face as his staff came in front of them again.

"Oh really? Why is that?" Eriol ignored the sarcasm this time.

"Because you're the third and final magician in this town."

"And just what does that have to do with anything?"

Suddenly, the teen gave a mighty yell and swung his staff around two times. A great stream of white light shot out and hit Yue in the chest. He screamed and fell back towards the ground, hitting it with a large thud. The young man stood there for a moment, breathing heavily.

"That should take care of him for awhile."

"You mean he's not dead?"

The young man turned to Syaoran, and now he could see his face, which looked vaguely familiar, with the piercing gray eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, and his dark hair, the color or which Syaoran couldn't discern too well because of the darkness.

"No he's not dead. Merely unconscious. Now come with me. We have to get those wounds treated right away."

With the help of some magic, and the mysterious man, they quickly made their way through the thick and winding forest.

"I'm Eriol by the way." The young man said.

"Syaoran." He replied gruffly. Eriol's next response caught him off guard completely.

"I know."

_Ok. This guy is freaking me out._ Syaoran thought.

"And just how do you know who I am?"

"Same reason why you know who I am."

"What? I just met you." Eriol laughed, and Syaoran scowled. This guy was beginning to get on his nerves, which wasn't a good thing, especially after what had happened earlier.

"No Syaoran, you've known me for a long time. 7 years to be exact."

"The hell?" _This guy is insane! _Suddenly, images floated through his mind, and Syaoran stopped walking as they bombarded him one by one.

Flashback 

_Syaoran came into the classroom, only to find Sakura, his beloved Sakura, looking rather pale and nervous. He approached her with caution, glaring at the newcomer._

"_Sakura?" he inquired. He saw the fear in her eyes when she turned to face him, and it made him cringe._

"_Syaoran." She gave him one of her fake smiles. He stared at her for a moment, knowing that something was up. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and sat down at his desk, his face cherry red, but his eye caught the newcomer's intent gaze. He scowled at him, and resumed staring dreamily at the back of Sakura's head._

_It was in the afternoon, and they were playing basketball in gym class. Syaoran was against the new guy. **Poor guy.** For a moment, Syaoran almost felt sorry for him. Syaoran was easily the best athlete in his grade, and had beat everyone else at basketball. He was itching for new blood. _

_The ball was thrown, and to his complete consternation, Eriol had seized the ball was dribbling up the court at a much faster pace that even Syaoran himself could manage. He stared in shock as the ball kept on coming back to the newcomer's possession. Once the game was over, and Syaoran had lost for the first time ever, the newcomer approached him._

"_What do you want?" Syaoran barked, clearly annoyed that he had been beaten._

"_To let you know that there will come a day when may have to work together to save ourselves."_

"_Hah! Fat chance!" Syaoran retorted to his retreating chance. **Like I would ever work with him . . . **_

_Syaoran sat in utter shock as he watched his rival and opponent approach the court, and confirming the accusation of magic against him. **I can't believe it! He's just like me. **For the first time in his life, Syaoran felt fear creep into his soul. **I wonder how long he'll live. And to think I was mad at him for wining at basketball. **He heaved a sigh as he watched Eriol be escorted from the courtroom. Syaoran never saw him again._

_End flashback_

"Holy shit. Eriol!" Syaoran yelled, startling him.

"Yes it's me."

"Damn it, why didn't you just tell me that earlier?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, I was rather busy _fending Yue off._"

"That's still no excuse!" Syaoran said, glaring at him. Eriol held his hands up in mock surrender.

"I'll remember that next time you're in trouble! I won't save your sorry ass."

"Why you-" but Syaoran was cut off when Sakura's aura suddenly came floating towards him. It surrounded him, and mingled with his green aura. He felt a sudden wave of peace wash over him.

"Yes Sakura's here, and she's safe. For the time being anyways."

Syaoran was so overjoyed that Sakura was alive and safe, that it took him a few moments to register the other part of Eriol's statement.

"What do you mean 'for the time being'?" he asked.

"Well once Yue regains consciousness, he'll be after us again, and then we'll all be at his mercy again."

"We have to get to her!"

"Whoa slow down. Your injuries aren't going to heal any faster if you hurry, and besides, we're here anyways."

Eriol pulled back the branches, and Syaoran saw a clearing filled with several huts, and a few fires. And there, sitting by a fire near the edge of the clearing, were Sakura and a young woman with long dark hair, and deep purple eyes. Syaoran felt himself take a deep breath, and hold it, as if he was afraid to breathe around her.

Sakura looked so beautiful, sitting in the light of the fire. Her auburn hair shone gold in the light, and her sparkling eyes flashed their beautiful shade of emerald. She was laughing at something the other teen had said, and it tugged at Syaoran's heart, making it beat erratically _Oh my gosh. Sakura . . . _while he was drinking in the sight of her beauty, she sensed his aura, and turned around to face him. Shock grazed over her face, before a look of disbelief, and finally a look of longing and desire.

Without another word, Sakura got up, and walked towards him. _Oh my gosh. I'm dreaming. _she thought. _But this can't be real! Syaoran can't be here! He should be hating me along with everyone else! _

"Sakura." Was all he said, before she threw caution to the wind and ran towards him. She was stopped by Eriol, and looked at him questioningly.

"He has some severe injuries." He said. Syaoran glared at him. _Screw injuries! I just want to hug her. _Ignoring his pain, and Eriol's protests, Syaoran reached for Sakura, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

_What's going on?_ Sakura wondered, completely bewildered. Emotions were flooding into her. _Why is he here, hugging me like this? _She pried herself away from Syaoran, and his comforting warmth. She was shaking like a leaf. Syaoran gave her a hurt look.

"Why are you here?" she asked sharply, ignoring the stabbing pain in her heart.

"Listen Sakura-" he began, but was cut off when he heard the muffled sounds of sobbing, and realized that Sakura was crying.

"Please Sakura, don't cry." He pulled her into his embrace again, wincing slightly at the pain in his chest. Sakura sobbed into his shirt, and he held her while she cried.

"Why do you even care about me?"

"Sakura listen to yourself! Of course I care about you! Why wouldn't I?"

"How can you even be near me?"

"Sakura!" Syaoran released her, and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him. Glaring emerald eyes met intense amber, and time seemed to stop.

"Listen to me. Please." He whispered. Syaoran could tell that Sakura's resolve was slowly breaking. Her eyes were red and blotchy, but he didn't care.

"Syaoran, you shouldn't be here. You should be back in town with all of the other magic haters-" she was cut off when Syaoran hugged her close to him again. _She's so cold. _She felt so cold and lifeless. It nearly broke his heart to see her this way.

"Sakura, there's something I haven't told you about me." He was whispering because they were so close, and also because he didn't want Eriol to be hearing this private conversation between them.

"What?" she whispered.

"All of my life I had been different from the other kids. Not just because of where I came from, but because of my other abilities."

Sakura looked confused for a moment, and then it dawned on her. She stared at Syaoran is shock as the pieces tumbled into place.

"You mean you were that green aura I kept sensing around me?" Sakura was dumbfounded. She felt a rush of swirling emotions envelop her.

"Yes I was. I was always drawn to you from the very start, and I only just recently figured out why."

Sakura remembered the flash of green light that had destroyed the card earlier. "So you were the one that destroyed the card?"

"Yeah. I saw that you were in trouble and decided to help you out."

"And then you got caught and followed me here."

"No actually I escaped, and then later on I beat up the notorious 'Toemeda Gang'"

Sakura gasped.

"So you used magic on them?"

"Only enough to knock them unconscious, and to hop fully knock a little sense in their brains."

"Syaoran . . . " the magnitude of what he had done confused her.

"Why did you do that? Why did you let yourself get caught?"

"Because it was the only way I could ever see you again." He whispered, giving her a pleading look. Sakura looked confused, and then the implications of what he had said began to sink in. She gasped in shock.

"Syaoran-" she began, her heart pounding loudly inside her chest. She could feel the heat of his intense gaze, as she sensed him closing the distance between them-

"Listen, I hate to break you up, but Syaoran's injuries are getting worse by the second, and we need him to have his strength if he is going to help us fight."

They broke apart, and Syaoran glared at Eriol for his bad timing, while Sakura gave Eriol a look of confusion. Syaoran was quickly escorted to a person with healing experience, while Eriol was left to contend with Sakura.

"Fight who?" she asked.

As Eriol explained the whole story, he could see that Sakura was looking more and more frightened. When he reached the part where he came to the village with Syaoran, Sakura was shaking.

"I can't fight this Yue! I don't know how!" she whispered.

"Relax. You won't be fighting alone. Syaoran and I will be helping."

"But why do I have to fight him?"

Eriol took one of her hands in his and squeezed it gently.

"Because you are the strongest magician alive Sakura. Stronger than me, and stronger than Syaoran. With you fighting we stand a chance against Yue."

"How do you know so much about Yue anyways?" Sakura whispered.

Now Eriol's face looked grim.

"Do you remember the black magic that swept through the town many years ago?"

Numbly, Sakura nodded. "It killed my mother."

"And my father." Eriol said quietly. "But the point is, that Yue was the one who started it."

"What?" Sakura's hand flew to her mouth as a vortex of emotions swirled around her. She sank to the ground, sobbing. Eriol knelt beside her, and put a comforting had on her shoulder.

"That's why we have to destroy him. So we can save everyone."

"But . . .why?" Sakura asked in between tears.

"That I do not know." Eriol held out his hand, and Sakura took it. He helped her up, and put his arm around her. There was a period of silence.

"How do you know it was Yue who started the black magic wave?" Skaura asked, shattering the silence.

"Yue is my cousin. I always knew he was different. In a bad way. He started spending time with someone who turned him to the darker side of magic. He became a different person, and one day he attacked, and that was the end of many people's lives that day."

Sakura felt fresh tears pooling in her eyes.

"That's so sad." She whispered.

"Sad be true." He replied.

Soon Sakura felt her eyelids grow heavy with sleep.

"I'm so tired." She said in a faint whisper. Eriol half carried, half guided her to the hut where Tomoyo resided, and was already sleeping peacefully.

"Go to sleep Sakura. The battle will be here soon enough, and you'll need all your strength."

"Thank you . . ."

He tucked her into the bed, and watched her fall asleep within minutes. Eriol then got up, and went over to Tomoyo's bed. He gazed lovingly at the smile she wore in her sleep. He caressed her cheek, and placed a kiss on top of her forehead.

"Goodnight." He whispered, exiting the hut into the darkness of the night.

Syaoran awoke to the sounds of screaming, and sat up in bed. _Sakura! _He thought. There was still traces of pain, which he was feeling now, but he ignored them. He threw off the covers, and exited the hut, running head on into Eriol.

"Eriol!" he cried. "What's going on?"

"The battle has started." He replied grimly, gesturing to the fiery blaze that only now Syaoran noticed. He gazed around in shock, but Eriol's next words snapped him out of it.

"Sakura is safely hidden behind the trees across the clearing!"

"Let's go then!" Syaoran stopped only long enough to let his sword out, before following Eriol across the clearing trying to avoid the fires, and the oncoming attacks. _Damn you Yue! You bastard!_

The battle for their lives had officially begun.

A/N: WOW! I wrote this in a span of two hours. I'm impressed with myself. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I was totally inspired. Woot! Please review and tell me what you think. _God bless CelestialMoon17._


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